


Watched

by freedomfrenzy



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen, Post 100, Spoilers for the Reaper storyline, Strauss is not a villain, canon character death mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7493622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomfrenzy/pseuds/freedomfrenzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erin knows the BAU team don't trust her. They don't have to trust her, or even like her. But, while the Reaper case is open, they do have to remember people are watching. Aaron Hotchner especially has to remember.</p><p>************</p><p>It was below a section chief to skulk around the BAU office to spy on her subordinates but Erin knew Agent Hotchner’s team would expect no less than her breathing down his neck. It was there in Agent Jaerau’s tightly polite smile whenever she made eye contact through her office window, the painfully rigid postures of Agents Reid and Prentiss as they pretended not to see her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Watched

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta-ed

It was below a section chief to skulk around the BAU office to spy on her subordinates but Erin knew Agent Hotchner’s team would expect no less than her breathing down his neck. It was there in Agent Jaerau’s tightly polite smile whenever she made eye contact through her office window, the painfully rigid postures of Agents Reid and Prentiss as they pretended not to see her. Quiet condemnation underlined Dave’s evasions as she pressed him for the details of New Mexico, ignoring his jabs at her callousness in using the victims of a sexual sadist to manipulate the political landscape within the FBI. Aaron Hotchner lead a fiercely loyal team, she’d belatedly realised that after Gideon’s departure, and sensing her meddling hand again they were closing ranks behind diplomatically deferential facades.

They thought she was their enemy.

When she finally gave up on Dave, she looked across the bullpen to Aaron’s office to where he and Agent Morgan were working through the boxes of paperwork being a Unit Chief mandated. Unlike the others Agent Morgan didn’t concern himself with courtesy, when he caught her eye across the room his expression was unfriendly. Aaron didn’t notice, digging through a box, and the moment passed without comment. None of the team would have been surprised at the satisfaction uncurling in her chest as she left their office, that Unit Chief Hotchner had read the writing on the wall and stepped down as their leader. 

He’d been losing the famously tight grip on his emotions since George Foyet had attacked him in his home. Since Haley and Jack Hotchner had been taken out of his life and put into witness protection. Even knowing as she did- it didn’t take a profiler to understand Foyet’s obsession with the agent who turned his deal down- that her cold relationship with Agent Hotchner put her far down on the list of Foyet’s potential targets, she checked every room in her house when she got home each evening and needed a glass of scotch before she could relax enough to sleep. How Aaron Hotchner managed to function with the threat and his absent family looming over his head every day was a mystery. She’d seen it on his first case back. He may not have liked her but Agent Morgan was honest about his concerns over Hotchner’s actions and Erin was long used to reading between the lines, especially when it came to this team. It wouldn’t take long for others to notice as well and she would not have the BAU or the Reaper case threatened by claims of impartiality on behalf of its leader. 

Aaron had never really believed she would leave him and his team alone. It didn’t take more than a short phone call to get the ball rolling. She was starting to wonder if she’d have to start the proceedings to have him transferred out of the BAU prior to New Mexico but he countered her threat with the internal promotion of Derek Morgan. As frustrating as conversations with Dave were, it was worth putting up with his infuriating manner for the chance to see the two men pouring over files in Hotchner’s office without a sign of bad blood between them. One a leader by name for now and the other, she had no doubt, still a leader by presumption. If not his, then most certainly his team’s. That wasn’t her problem. The papers said what needed to be said- someone else was making decisions at the BAU- and Aaron knew people were watching.

She wondered, sometimes, if she wasn’t making things worse. Trusting someone could be worth more than all the good intentions in the world. But she’d made her call. She made every excuse to show her face at the BAU and every wary look she received from the BAU team suggested it was working. When news filtered back about the torture of a US Marshal, that Haley Hotchner had been murdered, the bloody death of George Foyet, all she could do while assembling an internal investigation was pray it had been done enough.

Her role was investigator, to hound the team and dig through their story for any inconsistencies or failure to follow protocol. To zero in on Aaron Hotchner’s behaviour for the smallest mistake that could be used to explain the bloodbath and satisfy critics at the cost of only one man’s career. All she needed was one decision, one moment of emotion ruling over rationality where Aaron had slipped up. Everyone watching knew there had to be one such moment, he’d been targeted by a killer. It was her job to find it and it was in following those orders she found the validation for her constant shadowing of her already beleaguered agent. 

It was in Agent Reid’s own testimony. Agent Reid with his eidetic memory that allowed him to indisputably quote Agent Hotchner word for word.

“I have to let someone else make that call.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a huge fan of Strauss but I've been rewatching season 5 and the whole Reaper debacle could have ended a whole lot worse if they hadn't acted with the understanding that every action had to be above board and justifiable to outside powers. So her constantly pressuring Hotch and making him step down could be either a lack of faith or making sure he was acutely aware that people were watching. And I like the idea of her reluctantly keeping the team safe even if none of them really like each other.


End file.
